Joe Morgan's Reviews
Iconoclasts is a fun, beautiful platformer with great puzzle design and an engaging, thought-provoking narrative. Be prepared to think critically on multiple levels for this harrowing tale!
For fans looking to dive into a fun, meaty campaign, SpellForce 3 is surprisingly enjoyable, even for newcomers to the franchise.
Wolfenstein's follow up is a wild ride through alternate history with a healthy dose of gore and absurdity. It has some of the strongest character development and storytelling of any first person shooter in history and, though the gameplay can prove difficult, the feel of combat is fantastic. When you mix in a great soundtrack, top notch visual design, and excellent voice work, you're in for a treat.
Call of Duty: WWII may not be the best in the series, but it does a great job pointing the franchise back toward the light. Nazi Zombies is a blast, the campaign is entertaining, and multiplayer will keep fans coming back for months...and all without those pesky jetpacks.
ELEX has some good ideas that will appeal to fans of Sci Fi and Fantasy. Unfortunately, the game is plagued with issues that hold it back from reaching its potential. There's fun to be had here, but the hurdles to get there are severe.
Valkyria Revolution should have been a single-season anime. Instead, we've gotten a game that's frustrating on the surface, boring in practice, and infuriating to reflect on. Save both your time and money.
Bungie's latest entry in the series makes some considerable quality of life improvements for fans while improving their storytelling. Awkward group counts and an unchanged core won't likely win over many converts, however.
Tacoma tells an engaging tale with memorable characters. Exploring the abandoned station and reliving pivotal moments alongside the crew has become an experience I won't soon forget.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice has shown that video games are mature enough as a medium to capably deliver an entertaining experience while respectfully tackling difficult topics. It's beautiful and emotionally engaging, worth every moment spent in the warrior's mind.
Pyre is a brilliant game with a fantastic story and world building, beautiful visuals, an excellent soundtrack, and fun, clever combat and progression. Supergiant Games continues to impress.
Reglia is a fantastic strategy RPG with a gorgeous, vibrant art style and excellent soundtrack. It's clearly a labor of love the team at Pixelated Milk has poured their hearts and souls into.
Though it lacks the polish of some of its contemporaries, The Surge is a fun Dark Souls-like game with a different setting and some enjoyable new gameplay mechanics.
Kamiko is a fun, light game you can easily pick up and enjoy. Despite its brevity and lack of narrative, the time spent cleansing shrines and wandering the world Flyhigh created made for a memorable experience.
Rise & Shine is a gorgeous game that pays homage to a slew of video game touchstones. While it employs some interesting mechanics, it is ultimately a frustrating experience that disrespects your time in an effort to artificially lengthen an otherwise brief game with a ho-hum story. Let this one sleep in.
With this new rendition of Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, it's easy to see why so many old-school fans loved this franchise. The world design and inventory systems are well designed and the remastered visuals and audio will have you salivating. It's a blast to discover and utilize the special skill of each animal form. The whole family will have a wonderful time with this classic. (The ability to swap visuals and audio to retro at the click of a button is pretty slick too.)
Hollow Knight is a fantastic adventure platformer with a massive world and a captivating aesthetic. With such an enticing price point, this game is a must-own for fans of the genre.
Sniper Elite 4 is a blast when you're in its sweet spot, tagging enemies and dispatching them from a distance. Unfortunately, it's dragged down by otherwise bad gunplay, a mediocre story, and poor voice acting. If you just want to shoot Nazis from a distance, you'll have a good time though.
Has Been Heroes is a fun yet flawed rogue-like. The steady flow of unlockable content and frantic strategy are engaging, but the brutal boss encounters that often rely on luck from pickups can be infuriating.
Nioh is a fantastic Dark Souls-styled game that gives players a more accessible way to approach the genre while handily establishing itself as a potent newcomer to watch in the future. Japanese myth, culture, and history are also fun, interesting, wonderfully executed boons to the budding franchise.
Marvel Pinball: Epic Collection Vol 1 is a fantastic pinball collection at a reasonable price. Every table is a blast from the themed content to all the little flourishes craftily designed into each table. The game looks and sounds excellent, is family-friendly, and you can play split-screen or hotseat with a friend! Fans of pinball or Marvel properties should definitely consider picking this one up.